Given the popularity and dependency on apps for our smartphones and tablets these days, perhaps a dedicated computer designed for mobile or web development sounds like a great idea. If that idea appeals to you or someone you know, Dell has announced a new pilot program over the next six months that aims to create a laptop that has been designed for the mobile and web developer in mind. Dubbed Project Sputnik, this will take Dell’s XPS 13 ultrabook and throw it together with Ubuntu 12.04 along with a set of developer tools. From there, developers will then be able to choose specialized software profiles that will aid in their development for Ruby, Android and JavaScript. More are expected to be included but those will be their initial targets.Unfortunately Project Sputnik remains somewhat conceptual at this point and no commercial product has been released yet. Prototypes and test units will be deployed to “key influencers” first and should the six month pilot program prove to be a success, a more powerful machine will be added to the mix. It’s an interesting move by Dell we have to admit, so we’ll be keeping an eye on this and see what fruit this tree will bear from Dell’s efforts. Pop on over to Barton George’s blog for the details, or check out the video below.